ROMEO AND JULIET, ETC. 219 



Every spring these, and some others of like habits, 

 desert the sea-coast and fly inland to rear their young 

 in the undisturbed solitudes of the hills. The gulls 

 soon return to sea, but the others long remain ; yet 

 when the weather becomes wintry and the earth 

 frostbound they all go back to the seacoast. 



Some of the peculiarities of migratory birds appear 

 so mysterious and puzzling that I fancy no Fellow 

 (of whatever distinguished association) can under- 

 stand them. For instance, there is much sound and 

 circumstance accompanying the migrations of certain 

 birds, while others come and leave with secrecy and 

 reticence. The migrations of wild geese, swallows, 

 oyster-catchers, red shank, &c., are all carried out 

 with more or less demonstration ; while the woodcock, 

 the landrail, the cuckoo, &c., arrive in the country 

 silently and unobserved, and again disappear under 

 silence and mystery. 



I had often wondered that the landrail, which 

 always journeys at night, should never use its 

 powerful voice to indicate its whereabouts to the 

 others ; but once, and only once, about four years 

 since, on a darkish night at the time of their arrival, 

 I heard passing overhead the craik-craik of the land- 

 rail clearly and distinctly, and also the answering 



